Wednesday, March 18, 2015

"The most important thing to understand about
the problems with the police force in Ferguson, Mo., is that they’re not
unique to Ferguson.

An investigation by
the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, launched after a police
officer fatally shot Michael Brown, would be upsetting, infuriating —
pick your adjective of outrage — if Ferguson were a one-off.

The 102-page report
depicts a department — indeed, an entire city bureaucracy — more
focused on raising revenue than protecting public safety. Ferguson used
its police force and court system to make ends meet — on the backs of
poor and minority residents.

As described in the report, Ferguson police,
under pressure to bring in fines to boost the city’s coffers, pile on
multiple, often bogus, charges for minor infractions. Then they top that
up with additional charges, fines, fees and even jail time for those
who fail to pay promptly and in full.

Police
see residents, especially African Americans, 'less as constituents to
be protected than as potential offenders and sources of revenue,' the
investigation found."